Maiden In The Dark
by MadamKabooshkwa
Summary: Long ago a pact was made with the twelve guardians of the forest-or gods. Sakura is married to their leader, despite that fact that the village claims that Sakura is a curse and should be killed.
1. The Young Maiden

**SO UM. Yeah, I've been working on this fanfic for a while. Sora's returned! And she's still as spastic as ever! Please, do enjoy and don't forget to review at the end!**

It was the middle of autumn; the trees were shedding their red and brown leaves which were found useful in the making of baskets and other things such as accessories. Clouds were moving in, but they had yet to cover the bright sun which was shining through the tall trees. "Wait up!" she laughed, running after the wolf. She had to hold the front of her cotton dress up so that she didn't trip over it. She followed him all the way into a small field of pink and white flowers, tripping over her own two feet. The wolf was nowhere to be seen, however a tall man with dark brown messy hair-the same colour as the wolf's- was staring into her deep green eyes with his amber ones, a soft smile on his lips. She smiled up at him, a slight blush crossing her cheeks. "Caught me again." She giggled. "You should be more careful, Sakura." He said softly. "Sorry…" small tears formed in her eyes, but he wiped them away. "Why do you cry?" he asked softly. "I'm causing problems for you again…" she murmured, feeling guilty. "No you aren't-I've told you before that you aren't a burden to me. I'll always protect you-I promised you that."

"I remember the first day we met-it was raining and you gave me your coat." She smiled. A rustling came from the tree's and out stepped a girl with the same colour hair and eyes as his. "Putting the moves on her so early in the day hmm?" she joked. "What do you want, Sora?" Syaoran asked irritably. "I just thought you should know that there's a group of villagers that are continuously hanging around near the edge of the forest-they seem to harbour some hostile intentions towards your dear wife." She replied. Syaoran rolled his eyes. "They just don't get the message, do they?" he muttered. Sakura looked away, "You should go…" she murmured. Sora looked to Syaoran for her orders. "Take Sakura home-I'll be back soon, I promise." He said before taking off in his wolf form.

_**-Eight Years Ago-**_

The rain was coming down hard, but that didn't stop the seventeen year old Sakura from staying on the top of her favourite hill looking out over the small village where she lived. It was the one place where she felt safe; no one came to bother her because they didn't know where she'd gone-at least, as far as she knew. Her dress was clinging to her wet body, but she didn't care-it wasn't like anyone else cared anyway. "Hey look, it's the freak." A male voice came from her right. She looked over to see a group around her age; five boys and three girls. "What do you want?" Sakura's voice shook with fear as she stood up, backing away from the group that were getting closer. "Hey look, she's shaking!" They laughed. She could sense hostility from them, and she had no way of escape. "She's always sitting on this hill that's closest to the forest-I bet she goes in there!" one of the girls accused. "She's always causing trouble for the village-I always knew that she'd be the one to break the pact." One of the other boys snickered. "No-I'd never!" she cried. "What a bunch of bullshit." The other girl spat. "Why don't we teach her a lesson?" the first boy said as he cracked his knuckles. "Please…no…" she whispered.

They closed in around her. The girls watched as the boys beat her, kicking and punching her until she was just barely conscious. They all walked away laughing, leaving her in the rain. Just before she lost consciousness, she saw a shadowy figure appear before the group.

He was about their age-at least his appearances showed that. Little did they know that he was the leader of the guardians that protected the forest and their village. "Who are you!?" the leader of the gang demanded. "You dare speak to me that way?" he glared at them, anger filling his eyes. The boys attacked him, but he just flipped them off with one move. "Ugh, let's go!" the gangs' leader said, getting up and running away. The rest followed behind quickly.

He walked over to where Sakura's unconscious body lay and knelt down beside her, pulling her into his arms. "You poor thing." He murmured, pulling off his black trench coat and wrapping it around her cold shivering body. Her eyes opened for a mere few seconds to see his amber eyes looking down at her, his hair dripping from the rain. "Thank…you…" she managed to get out before completely passing out. He picked her up and carried her back down to the village, receiving stares from many of the citizens as he carried her back to her house.

He opened the door to the small residence and walked over to the bed that was sitting in the corner of the small house. He placed her down on the bed gently and removed her wet clothes so that she wouldn't catch a cold and covered her with the warm blankets, leaving his coat over the top of her as well. He pulled up a chair beside the bed and picked up one of the books to read until she woke the next day.

Sakura woke up to the touch of the warm sun shining through her window. Her head throbbed and everything ached. "You shouldn't move yet; you were kicked in the head three times and you have a few wounds on your arms and legs which I bandaged for you while you were sleeping." He flicked the page. Her head turned quickly to find a man sitting in a chair beside her bed; she looked down at herself and realised that she wasn't wearing her clothes-or anything for that matter. "Don't worry, I didn't do anything to you." He said calmly, closing the book and looking up at her with a smile. "Who…are you?" she asked quietly, pulling up the sheets to cover her shoulders. "I'm the leader of the guardians, or gods, who protect the surrounding forest and your village. I'm known as Syaoran." He answered softly. "I never entered the forest-I swear!" she sat up quickly. Her head span as she held her hand to it. "I know. That's not why I'm here." He said reassuringly. "Oh…" she said. "The reason why I'm here is because I've noticed the increasing hostility towards a particular girl in the village." He answered her unspoken question. "I can't say I know what you're talking about." She lied. "May I ask your name dear?" he requested. "Uh…it's Sakura…" she replied quietly. "Hmm…that's a lovely name." he smiled. Her eyes widened-no one had ever given her a compliment. He stood up from his chair and placed the book down. "I'm afraid I must leave; I'll be watching over you for a while." He said before leaving. "Also, make sure to take care of yourself-don't stay out in the rain, you'll get sick." He warned. She watched as he left her home, leaving her with his coat.

She did what she always did; every day she'd get dressed, do some of her chores and then go to sit on the same hill every day. She took a straw basket and placed a few sewing items in it along with one of her dresses that needed her attention and left her house. She made her way through the crowds, gaining hostile stares from many around her.

The path up to the top of the hill was easy to walk along, but still very tiring. Once at the top, she found her usual spot and sat down to start her work on her garment.

She continued that routine, taking books to read and other things to entertain herself while she stayed up on the hill. The only thing that changed in her routine was the frequent visits from Syaoran, who would keep her company. For the first time in her life she was enjoying herself, laughing even. However, neither of them knew that they were being watched by a group of jealous villagers.

_-A year after first meeting-_

Of course, Sakura sat in her usual place. It was spring and the flowers were blooming, petals flying about in the soft breeze. She felt the soft fur of a wolf nuzzle against her hand, taking her attention away from the book she was reading. She smiled and pet him, but he noticed she was hiding her other arm from him. He walked around to her other side and nudged her arm; she winced in pain and looked away, feeling guilty. When she looked back she saw that he'd taken his human form; he was wearing what he always wore-a black coat, a t-shirt and black pants. "Someone hurt you again, didn't they?" he said, pulling back her sleeve to reveal her bandaged arm. "Yeah…" she replied. "They're getting worse-more frequent." He noticed. "I can't hide anything from you anymore." She smiled sadly. "I don't keep secrets from you either, Sakura." Syaoran smirked. "Tell me something…why do you care for me so much…?" she asked quietly. "I guess it's because something draws me to you-not just your personality. You're a kind girl, yet the village people turn a blind eye to your pain…They're heartless." His voice was cold as he spoke of the village's attitude. "You're the only one who's ever loved me…" she whispered, bringing her knees up to lean her head on. "Thank you." Tears of happiness fell down her face as she spoke.

A few days later, as always, she was sitting in her usual spot. However, that day Syaoran could not make it. She wasn't sad though-she knew of his duties as the leader of the guardians. She looked up as she heard the angry footsteps of another gang lead by the same guy as always coming towards her. She quickly put her book away in her basket and stood up, turning to run. "After her!" he yelled. She ran as fast as she could, but it was no use. They were stronger, and therefore faster-it didn't take long for them to catch up to her and slam her down into the hard ground, pinning her there until the rest of the gang got there. "No-please! Stop!" she cried, begging for them to stop. "Shut up you filthy wench!" one of the guys spat, pushing her head harder into the ground. The rest of the group made a circle around her; she could see intense hatred in their eyes, and their intent to kill. She was frightened. She didn't want to die. "Go ahead-kill her. She's a curse on our village anyway-it won't be safe until she's dead!" he gave the order. Sakura watched as they closed in on her, seeing weapons such as bats and small pocket knives in their hands. She screamed out in agony as she felt something sharp pierce the flesh in her back. A bat slammed hard into her leg, breaking the bone. "Please-Stop!" she pleaded. But they couldn't care less. "You're still talking?" one of the girls sighed, kicking her in the jaw. Everything was going dark-the pain was unbearable. _'Someone…please-save me!' _"Syaoran!" She screamed.

Syaoran looked up at the sky-he could smell blood. "Syaoran-Sakura's in trouble!" his sister's voice came from the left. "I know-I can smell her blood." he should have gone to see her. "A group of angry villagers have attacked her-they're going to kill her!" she reported. "How many are there?" He asked, immediately setting foot towards the area which he had come to know so well. "At least fifteen." Sora replied. "Is anyone there right now?" he asked. "I'm sorry-I didn't know what I should do. I'm the only one who's seen the attack." She said sadly. "Will you help me?" he asked. "Yes." She replied, determined to help the girl. Syaoran changed into his wolf form, and Sora took the form of a white tiger. They ran swiftly through the forest, the trees nothing but a blur.

They made it there quickly, resuming their human forms. "_STOP."_ The villagers looked over to see the two brunettes making their way over. "She's nothing but a curse!" One of the girls shouted. "She's an innocent girl!" He spat back. "She's a freak-she brought a dead bird back to life!" another person shouted-a boy. "You disgust me!" he hissed. The villagers foolishly attacked the two brunettes. Syaoran lunged forward and swiftly dealt with them, as did Sora. He looked over at Sakura's body; it was bloody and she was barely breathing. "You're disgusting." Sora muttered-how could anyone be so cruel? "Syaoran-do I get rid of them?" she asked as another villager attacked her. "Give them a taste of their own medicine." He smirked. And so she did. She killed the ones that had attempted to kill Sakura, as did Syaoran. The bystanders were sent running for their lives.

As soon as everyone disappeared, Syaoran made his way over to Sakura's body. "Is she too far gone for healing spells to work?" Sora asked, fearful for the loss of her brothers' lover. "No. Not if we act quickly." He replied. "What will we do?" Sora asked. "Just as the twelve of us discussed; she'll live with me." He said, picking her up and carrying her into the forest. Sora smiled, "Of course, my lord…and dearest brother."

The house that Sakura woke in was not hers; the walls were cleaner, and the furniture was different. The room she was in had a small fireplace that had a fire going-it was keeping the room warm and Sakura comfortable. There was a small desk in the corner with a bottle of ink and a quill sitting on top of it. A small chest of draws sat by the door and a bedside table with a candle lit lamp sat beside the bed she was in. She tried to move to sit up, but she couldn't. It was too painful. She was covered in bandages and was no longer wearing her own clothes. She heard footsteps and watched as the door opened; she saw a familiar face look up from the ground and lock eyes with hers. "You're awake." Syaoran smiled. "Where…am I?" she asked. "You're in my house." He replied, sitting down next to her on the bed. Memories of what happened flooded her mind. "How am I alive?" She asked softly. "Sora, my sister, told me what was happening and we came to your immediate rescue. The other guardians and I spoke about letting you stay in the forest-letting you stay with me. Will you stay here?" he asked softly. Tears began to flow down her face, unstoppable. "Shh, let it all out-it's alright." He whispered soft words of comfort to her.

She became exhausted from crying and fell asleep holding his hand. She knew she was finally safe from harm, especially when she was beside Syaoran. There was a soft knock at the door followed by a soft voice. "May I come in?" she asked. "Yes." He answered. Sora opened the door and entered, shutting it behind her. "How is she?" Sora asked quietly, careful not to wake the sleeping girl. "It's going to take a long time for her to recover." He answered softly. "Poor girl…she'll be happier here in the forest." Sora said. A sneaky smile crossed her face as she looked at her brother. "I bet you enjoy undressing her, don't you?" she smirked. "As if she'd be able to wear those clothes anymore; they're ripped and covered in blood." He retorted. "Excuses, excuses. I'm going to leave now, I'll catch you later." She said before leaving.

And just like that, Sakura was taken in by the leader of the guardians and his friends. A few months later they were married also. She'd become comfortable living in the forest, and Chii who was one of the other guardians often visited her. She taught her new techniques for sewing and had made several new dresses for Sakura to wear. Sakura buried her deep hatred towards the village, even though groups of village men and women lingered around the edge of the forest in hopes that she'd come stumbling out. But Syaoran never allowed that to happen.

_**-Present Day-**_

Sora skipped along humming a cheerful tune while Sakura slowly followed behind, fearing for her lovers' safety. "Come on, Sakura! Cheer up!" Sora beamed. "He wouldn't have to deal with the villagers if I'd never existed…" she murmured sadly. Sora's jaw practically dropped to the ground. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME WOMAN!? They can all eat shit for all I care-THEY'RE HORRIBLE PEOPLE." Sora exclaimed, over dramatizing everything. "But if I was never born-

"Stop that! You're the only girl Syaoran has ever fallen for-he does it because he loves you and he doesn't consider you a burden! In fact he probably thinks of you more as a sack of happiness…"

"Sora!" Sakura blushed madly upon hearing her last sentence.

"Come now-he said to take you home. RIDE ME HOME." Sora said, changing into her proper animal form-a unicorn. Sakura face-palmed, "You really need to work on your wording, Sora." She muttered. "Oh come on-it's not every day you get to ride a sexy talking unicorn!"

"That's exactly what I mean…" Sakura mumbled to herself, continuing to walk.

They reached the cottage and went inside; Sakura sat down at the small round table with Sora, but decided that making tea sounded good. "What kind of tea are you making today?" Sora asked curiously. "Lemon and honey…" Sakura replied-it was Sora's favourite kind. "Woo!" Sora shouted excitedly. The tea was just a distraction for Sakura-she was more worried about Syaoran. "You're stressing about him aren't you?" Sora spoke, still with a smile on her face. "Yeah." Sakura replied dully. "He never goes alone-he often takes Fai and Kurogane with him." She told Sakura. "I'm relieved, then." Sakura said, feeling that she could breathe a little easier knowing that he had company.

**I'll be updating a little bit of everything, so please be patient with me as I'm actually trying to write fifty things at once LOL. Not sure when i'll be updating ranger and outcast as i'm facing a little bit of writers block for that, and i'm waiting for my amazing friend to give me the ok to continue updating The Life She Was Meant To Have.  
Review?**


	2. Holding Back

**Here's chapter two! Isn't Sora just so fabulous? **

**ENJOY DARLINGS.**

Syaoran arrived at the hill where he and Sakura used to meet often before they were married. Fai was in the form of a mystical white bird and was perched on the leaders shoulder while Kurogane was standing beside him in human form. "What are we going to do about the humans?" the gruff man asked. "Warn them." Syaoran answered. "And if they attack?" Kurogane asked. "Wound them, but don't kill them." Syaoran answered while walking towards the mob.

The villagers looked up. Syaoran was walking towards them in an orderly manner, acknowledging their presence. "Where's the girl!?" They demanded. Syaoran smiled. "Does your village need to be punished again?" he asked; his expression was frightening, making some of the villagers back off. However, some were more stupid than others. "We know she's in there with you! As long as she's alive she's a curse on our village!" one of the women yelled. "Hmm…that's rather funny actually. Fai, would you care to explain?" Syaoran spoke to the bird on his shoulder. The villagers watched as the graceful white bird fluttered off of Syaoran's shoulder and took human form; he was tall and had blonde hair with striking sapphire blue eyes. "Good afternoon." The blonde smiled at the group of villagers. "We checked over the girl for any sort of curse-she isn't even harmful. Just a kind young girl who has been putting up with abuse all her life." He said simply. "That's a lie!" one of the other villagers shouted. "You dare oppose the guardians?" Syaoran's voice was like ice. Storm clouds were gathering. Frightened, the villagers ran fearing the wrath of the gods. "I don't think they'll be back for a while." Syaoran murmured turning away and heading back to the forest. "You're ok with this?" Fai asked. "As long as she's safe." He replied. Fai looked at Kurogane, half smiling. "That kid is too kind for his own good." Kurogane muttered. "I think he'd like to rip them all apart, to be honest." Fai said. "He hides his anger well when he's around Sakura, but when he's on his own or with us…" the blonde murmured darkly. "He makes some of the cruellest decisions for the villagers. Reminds me of when he finally bought her to the forest." Kurogane said. "If she died that day, I doubt he would have even hesitated to leave and allow the spirits that surround this place consume the village." Fai sighed. "Maybe that's what they deserve." Kurogane muttered.

Sora finished her paper aeroplane and threw it for a test, not realising that Syaoran had just opened the door. It hit him in the middle of the forehead and fell to the floor. "Guess the passengers didn't survive that one…" Sora murmured to herself. "It's a paper plane, how can people fit on it?" Syaoran asked. "Do you lack imagination or what?" Sora pouted. "How's Sakura?" he asked, taking off his coat. "She's fine; I think she's just picking some herbs from the garden." Sora replied. "I know." He said. "Forgot about your heightened senses…" Sora muttered as she stood up. "I'm gonna leave now; it's gonna be a big storm tonight." Sora sighed. "Stay safe." Syaoran said as his sister left. "Uh, who do you think I am-I am the _queen_ of being safe!" Sora called out while walking away. "Ha, yeah right." He laughed. "Take care of your wife!" Sora waved.

Rain had started pounding down on the forest floor. Sakura quickly finished picking the herbs she wanted and ran back to the house quickly, opening the door and stepping inside to warmth. She was completely drenched and her dress was sticking to her shivering body. She looked up to see Syaoran standing waiting for her, holding a dry gown for her. "You're back!" she said happily, running over to him. "Yeah, the storm scared them off." He smirked as he put his coat over her head and began drying her hair. "Go get changed; I'll start cooking dinner." He smiled softly. She blushed and took the dress from him before disappearing into their bedroom to change.

It was a soft cream colour and made of cotton. Looking at it closer, she noticed the soft cherry blossom pattern embroidered in white along the hem of the night gown. "Chii must have made this…" she smiled. She pulled off her wet clothes and changed into the gown, tying the ribbon at the front in a bow. She then walked out and stood in front of Syaoran, smiling. "You picked this up from Chii on your way back, didn't you?" She asked softly. "How did you know?" he asked. "Chii's always making things for me, and the detail is obviously hers. I didn't have this before today." She giggled. "So perceptive." He smiled, leaning in to kiss her. She kissed back, pulling away and taking over the kitchen, kicking him out. "Go sit down. I've been home all day while you've been out all day. Get some rest." She told him as she pushed him over into their small living room. "As you wish then." He answered.

After dinner, the storm worsened. Sakura stayed on edge all night, even while sleeping. There was a bright flash followed by a very loud crash of thunder; Sakura screamed, jolting into a sitting position and holding her head in her hands. "No! Please, don't hurt me!" she screamed. Syaoran quickly pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. "Sakura, there is no one here to hurt you. It's just me, you're alright." He said calmly. She was sweating and breathing heavily. "Another nightmare…" she whispered. "You're alright, nothing can hurt you here." He whispered softly as he stroked her hair. She calmed and he pulled her back down to the pillows with him, holding her tightly. She shrieked as there was another crash of thunder. He placed his hands over her ears to help soften the sound, and for the first time in months she was able to fall asleep during a storm.

Sakura woke late the next morning with Syaoran still asleep beside her. She decided to leave him to rest and got up quietly, getting dressed and going out for her usual morning stroll. The sunlight's rays bounced off the droplets of rain on the leaves. While she hated thunderstorms, she loved the way the sunlight made the forest sparkle afterwards.

She walked along her usual path, but something didn't feel right. In all her time of living in the forest, she'd come to know the whispers of the trees around her and the hidden spirits of the woods that helped guide the guardians. They seemed eerily quiet, as if they were unsettled by something. She was about to turn around to head back home when she was attacked. Two male villagers jumped out from behind trees surrounding her and pushed her into the ground. They stopped her from screaming out by tying cloth tightly around her mouth and tied her hands. Two more village men appeared and Sakura knew she was not going to live. They were all grinning hungrily; memories of the day she was beaten to near death flooded her mind. "Now, if you make a sound you'll regret it." The man who had tied her hands up said; he had black hair and dark eyes. She was too frightened to look at any of the others. She could feel her clothes being ripped from her body, making her squirm. A blade cut into her flesh and pain coursed through her arm. Tears fell down her face as she felt one of the men push himself inside her. She screamed, though it was muffled by the cloth. Again she felt the blade in her flesh. Everything hurt. She didn't keep track of the amount of times she'd been cut or stabbed while they continuously raped her. She couldn't stand it anymore-she wished Syaoran would come to rescue her like he always did.

Syaoran woke to the cries of the forest spirits. "Sakura!" he got out of bed quickly and pulled on his coat, opening the door and turning to his wolf form. He called on his fellow wolves and they followed the scent of blood. Upon arriving at the scene he saw the state of Sakura's body. He knew the intent to kill was among all of them. He bared his teeth, growling as he slowly walked towards the group. "Dude, I'm not ready to die-I'm out!" one of the men said, attempting to run away. But he didn't get far: a couple of Syaoran's wolves jumped on him and bit his neck, letting him bleed out. He'd given the order to kill.

The roots of the surrounding trees pulled the dead bodies of all the men into the earth while Syaoran wrapped his coat around Sakura's bleeding body. He carried her home quickly and told the wolves to deliver a message to all of the guardians for a meeting to be held in an hour. While returning home with Sakura in his arms, he bestowed one last warning upon the village:

"_You who have made the pact with the guardians of the forest.  
Who have thrown an innocent girl out of her home.  
You who dare to enter the forest and attack the girl will incur the wrath of the gods.  
We forgave your village once, now it is your final chance-Break the code again, and you will be punished."_

Syaoran wrapped her wounds after placing some medicine made from herbs and other natural sources on them to help the healing process and stop infection. "Sakura, I'm so sorry…" he whispered, stroking her sleeping face. He heard a knock at his door and stood up to open it, seeing the other eleven guardians standing at the door. He allowed them in and they all took a seat in the living room while he shut the door to the bedroom.

Once he joined them, they began the meeting. "Syaoran, we heard your warning for the village-what happened?" Chii asked. "A group of village men attacked and raped Sakura with the intent to kill." He answered. "Oh they're really asking for it! I'll give em a ya! AND A HIYA! And I'll kick em, sir!" Sora growled. "What are we going to do?" Fai asked. "If any of the villagers are seen hanging around the forest, kill them." He said. "That's brutal." Tomoyo snorted. "Faggots deserve it." Chii and Sora muttered. "I have to agree with Chii and Sora." Fai added in. "Syaoran, you shouldn't leave Sakura's side until we know she's safe. We now know that there's a group of villagers who aren't even afraid to enter the forest even knowing of their punishment, so we should keep a close eye on the borders." Kurogane said. "Yeah…" Syaoran murmured. "Alright, now that that's been settled there's one more thing I needed to go over with everyone." Syaoran spoke. They all looked at him, each with a dark expression on their face. They were about to discuss the magic she possessed.

Sakura woke and heard the familiar voices of the twelve guardians in the other room. She moved to a sitting position, gasping in pain. She looked down at her body and noticed the bandages wrapped around her wounds. Tears filled her eyes; she'd caused more problems for Syaoran. She looked at the gold ring on her finger, wondering why she was still alive. She was nothing but a burden, and she hated it. "If I'm needed for anything, come and tell me. I'll have someone stay with Sakura." Syaoran's voice came from the other room. "Will she be ok?" Chii asked. "She should be fine as long as Syaoran's with her." From the tone of Sora's voice, Sakura guessed that she was trying to stop herself from laughing. Sakura blushed. "Oh yeah, since her dress was ruined I made her a new one. It didn't take long." Chii said. "I'm sure she'll appreciate that." Fai spoke. Of course she would; Sakura loved when Chii gave her new things to wear.

Using all the effort she had, Sakura stood up and slowly made her way over to the door. She opened it, but had to lean against it for support. All eyes were on her, especially Syaoran's. "What are you doing out of bed-you'll make your injuries worse!" Syaoran said worriedly. Sakura looked at the floor in front of her, avoiding eye contact. "I'm sorry; I'm always such a burden and causing you problems…maybe I really am a curse…" she spoke. All of the girls stared at her unbelievingly. "If Syaoran thought you were a burden, he wouldn't have saved you all those years ago. Come on, stop feeling guilty and be proud! You're the only one who can actually make him happy!" Sora said while doing the whole dramatic princess scene. "Sakura, you're not a burden." Syaoran said softly. "But I'm always causing problems!" she argued. "No, you're wrong. It's the village that's causing the problems." Syaoran replied darkly. "I just wish…I could do something…" she whispered. "Try getting better." Everyone said simultaneously. Sakura couldn't help but giggle at the looks on everyone's faces. "Alright, I will." She smiled. But her smile disappeared as everything suddenly became hazy and she began to feel light headed. "Sakura, what's wrong?" Syaoran asked softly. "Just…a little tired I think…" she mumbled as she fell forward, only to be caught by Syaoran. "She always over does it…" He said shaking his head, picking her up. "Guess that's just the way she is." One of the other female guardians said. "I'd hate to see what she'd be like when she's mad." Sora laughed. Everyone in the room shuddered at the thought. "Alright, meeting's over." Syaoran said as he carried Sakura back into their room. "Hope she feels better soon!" Chii called out before leaving. "Come visit her tomorrow then!" he shouted back.

Syaoran sat beside Sakura as she slept, grinding up some herbs to make a remedy for the pain. He detested those of the village, but he was bound by the pact to keep them safe from harm which stopped him from destroying the small town. But that wasn't the only thing stopping him from inflicting pain onto the people; Sakura had told him not to, and so he wouldn't. "Sakura…" his voice was full of worry for his wife. All he wanted was for her to be safe and happy, and it seemed that that wasn't going to happen unless he stopped holding back on the village. One more thing and it was war.

The villagers had called together a town meeting in regards to the warning. The leader was a kind elderly man, though not everyone agreed with him. All of the adults were whispering among themselves, wondering what was to be discussed. They were called to a silence and their leader spoke. "I would like to request for no further disturbances to the forest by any of the village people, and I hereby declare that going near the forest is forbidden. Today, we have lost seven of our men to the wrath of the gods as they entered the forest which we all know is strictly forbidden." He spoke loudly to the people of the village, letting them know of the events and his expectations. "They were only trying to get rid of that girl!" one of the younger men called out. "We are still held by the pact not to enter the forest. She was taken by them so that she wouldn't break the pact if one day she were to run away and curse the village." The elder combatted. A group of villagers stepped forward, men and women alike. "All of us think that that warning was a bunch of bullshit. Their leader is too soft to do anything." The middle aged man who seemed to be leading the group spoke. "And what are you going to do?" the leader asked sceptically. "We're going to take out that witch once and for all!" he declared. "You will not!" The elderly man shouted. "Yes we will, old man, because she's nothing but bad news for us." The villager snarled. "Those of you who do not heed the warning will surely lose your lives. If you're ok with this, then go ahead and kill yourselves." The village leader shook his head, giving up on trying changing their minds.

When Sakura awoke the next morning, everything felt stiff as well as sore. She felt disgusting and in need of a wash, and since she had no plans for the day she decided to ask Syaoran if it was ok. Slowly, she sat up and looked around the room; he wasn't there, so he was most likely in the other room. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and went to stand up, but sat back down as the door opened and Syaoran walked in. "Morning." She smiled. "How are you feeling?" he asked as he handed her a cup with a warm liquid in it. She knew the smell all too well, and a look of distaste showed on her face. "A little stiff, sore…" she replied as he sat down beside her taking the cup from her hands. "I figured as much." He answered softly. "Now, are you going to drink this on your own or do I have to give it to you?" he asked. A look of disgust crossed her face at even having to taste the stuff-it was bitter and horrible-but effective. "I guess by the look on your face I'll have to give it to you then." Before she knew it, her lips had locked with his and she could taste the warm liquid as it went down the back of her throat. He parted from her and kissed her on the forehead before standing up to take the cup back into the kitchen. He stopped when Sakura called his name to get his attention, turning and facing her. "What's wrong?" he asked. "I was wondering if maybe…you could take me down to the springs today…?" she asked quietly. He smiled softly, "Sure." He replied.

The water was warm and relaxing, putting Sakura's body at ease as soon as she slipped into the clear water. Syaoran sat on the bank, playing with Sakura's hair as she sat in the water while looking after her clothes. She dipped her head under the water to get her hair wet, emerging to see Syaoran petting one of his wolves. She noticed a couple of pups jumping around and on him, bringing a smile to her face. "They're adorable." She said. "They were born last week." He replied softly. "How's the mother?" Sakura asked. "She's fine." Syaoran smiled. "That's good." Sakura replied with a soft smile. One of the pups bounced over to her playfully and rolled onto its stomach. She rubbed its soft furry belly, laughing as the pup was jumped on by one of its brothers. "Can I ask you a question?" she asked. "Of course you can." He answered. "How would you feel…about being a father?" she asked. He blinked in surprise-he wasn't expecting that. "Well…I guess it would be nice…" a tinge of red crossed his cheeks as he answered, thinking of what it would be like. "You don't have to answer now-give it some thought. I just thought it might be nice is all…" she smiled up at him. "If it's what you want, then I'm more than happy." He told her as he leant down to kiss her.

There was just one thing that was worrying him though; how was she able to be so happy after being raped by a bunch of men? He wanted to talk to Fai about it, but he couldn't leave Sakura's side. So while Sakura finished up with her bath, he whispered something to one of the wolves. It dashed off to deliver his message, and once Sakura got dressed he took her home so that she could rest her wounded body.

**I feel so accomplished. What?  
Review? haha, i'm so lame.**


	3. Death

**CHAPTER TWEEE. Three. Whatevs. **

**Syaoxsyao: THANKS FOR YEE REVIEW XD Hmm, in regards to your question Sakura doesn't have a twin and neither does Syaoran :P So no ;)**

**HAPPY STRAYA DAY MATE**

**enjoy!**

It had been two weeks since Syaoran had bestowed his warning upon the village, and so far none of the villagers had come near the forest. Even knowing this, Syaoran still had an uneasy feeling in regards to the village, but there was something else that was nagging at him. He couldn't figure out what it was, and he often found himself trying to figure it out. Sakura was becoming worried with his strange behaviour and decided to ask him about what was on his mind. "Syaoran, is there something on your mind?" She asked as she sat down next to him with a cup of tea. He didn't answer. "We made a promise when we got married not to keep secrets from one another-or lie. I can tell that there's something wrong-please, I'm worried about you." She urged as she held both his hands in hers. He sighed and pulled her onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm just feeling uneasy about the village is all." He told her as he braided her hair. "I see…" she murmured.

They stayed quiet as they sat in their small bedroom, simply enjoying each other's company. Not once in the last few weeks had she mentioned anything about the incident, and it seemed she wanted to keep quiet about it. Syaoran knew what she did with her feelings; how she buried them along with the memories-or tried to anyway. He hugged her tightly as if he was afraid that he might lose her one day. "Syaoran?" she looked up at him with worried eyes. "It's nothing." He whispered.

She shifted her position so that she was sitting on him and facing him at the same time, cupping his face in her hands. "You silly man; you don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine." She smiled. "I'm always worrying-I don't know why." He smiled sadly. "Let me take your worry away, even if it's only for a little while." Sakura whispered as she leant in slowly to kiss him, untying the front of her dress and letting it hang loosely around her shoulders as an invitation. He slipped his hands inside and cupped her small breasts while kissing her, knowing full well what she wanted. She slid her hands underneath his t-shirt and up his back, pulling him closer to her. She pulled her arms out of her sleeves, allowing her garment to fall to her waist. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked. "If I wasn't sure, then I wouldn't have untied my dress." She giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and locked her lips with his once again. She pulled off his shirt and threw it onto the floor, pushing him down into the pillows and kissed him while he slipped the rest of her clothing off her body. She got rid of his pants, both of them completely naked with each other once again. Sakura leant her forehead against his, looking into his eyes which were gazing lovingly back into hers. "I love you." He whispered, stroking her cheek softly. "I love you too." She smiled, closing her eyes and falling into a deep kiss.

It was raining the next morning, keeping the two lovers in bed to stay warm. Sakura was still asleep when Syaoran woke in the early hours of the morning, though he quickly fell back to sleep after listening carefully for any sort of disturbance. His only concern was keeping Sakura safe and happy-he hated seeing her in any sort of pain or suffering.

It was late morning when the couple woke to Sora entering the residence. "Syaoran I need you for a-WOAH SORRY FOR THE INTRUSION." The brunette shut the door to the bedroom quickly leaving Sakura very embarrassed and Syaoran extremely annoyed. "How many times are you going to walk in without knocking?" He asked. "Sorry, habit." His sister called from the other room. "Well you've woken us up now, you might as well come in and tell us what you need." He yawned. Sakura pressed her body against Syaoran's back, wrapping her arms around him as Sora opened the door and casually walked in. "I see Sakura's still half asleep…" Sora observed. "Actually, I think she just fell back to sleep-her grip is like iron." He said. "Anyway, what did you need me for?" he asked. "Oh, we just wanted to borrow Sakura for a while, but I think we'll come back later since she's so…attached." She muffled her laughter. "Oh shut up." He muttered. She ran out the door laughing, leaving Syaoran to fall back to sleep with Sakura.

An urgent knock at the door in the early afternoon got both Syaoran and Sakura out of bed. Sakura pulled on a fluffy dressing gown that Chii had made with her magic for her and followed Syaoran to the door who was completely dressed. He opened the door to see the rest of the guardians with a group of villagers. "What's this?" Syaoran asked. The villagers looked over the leader, noticing his messy hair and his wife standing beside him. "These villagers came looking for Sakura; before killing them we wanted to know what you wanted to do." Kurogane answered. "Kill them. We'll return their bodies to the village and let them know this is war." Syaoran's voice was like ice. The villagers looked at him, frightened. He smiled darkly, "I know you all thought I was too weak to cause any harm to your village, but the only reason I didn't was because Sakura asked me not to. Unfortunately you've all crossed the line. Take them away." He ordered.

Several moments later, screams could be heard as they were torn apart. Sakura didn't seem fazed; her eyes showed anger and hatred towards the villagers who had caused her so much grief during her life. "Sakura; I'm sorry that I'm doing this…" Syaoran said softly. She pulled on the black dress Chii had given her a few days ago; long sleeves with an empire line, allowing the skirt of the dress to hang freely from just underneath her bust. She turned around and looked Syaoran in the eye; he noticed all of the dark emotions in her eyes. "It's ok; they deserve it." She replied flatly as she got ready for their little visit to the village.

Everyone stared as all twelve of the guardians walked through the main streets with the dead bodies of the villagers who had entered the forest. They were all shocked, some even angry. Sakura could hear their angry whispers, blaming the deaths on her. She kept the same heartless expression on her face, not showing any sort of emotion towards them whatsoever and the same was with Syaoran. He kept his eyes focused on the town square which was just ahead and where the town leader was waiting.

The bodies were thrown down onto the bricks in a pile and many of the villagers had gathered around to see what was going on. The leader looked up at Syaoran sadly, knowing exactly what was about to happen. "Since these foolish people have entered the forest, they received a death sentence. I know that many of you wish to see Sakura dead-but that's not going to happen since she's my wife." Syaoran began calmly. Sakura heard a couple of wives speaking with each other, "I don't understand, what's he saying?" the first wife said. "I'm not sure-all I want to know is why that cursed girl was chosen to marry him." The second wife answered. "We will not tolerate your behaviour any further-this is war!" He declared. "Please, isn't there any other way?" the elderly leader asked. "I gave out the warning-this is the villages' punishment. Good day." Syaoran replied coldly, walking away from the town square with Sakura by his side and the guardians following him. Sakura could hear the cries of women around her while receiving hostile glares and comments from many others. She didn't care anymore. She hated the villagers.

Sakura sat with Chii, Sora and Tomoyo drinking tea while Syaoran spent some time with the guys. "So Sakura, how was last night?" Sora asked cheekily. Sakura blushed and looked away, "Why do you ask such questions?" she asked. "I don't know." Sora replied casually. "Um…can I ask you a question?" Sakura asked, aiming her question at all three girls. "Fire away, my lady." Sora smiled. Sakura blushed a little before asking, but she wanted to know. "Do you know how Syaoran would feel about having kids? I asked him a couple of days ago but he just said if it makes me happy then he doesn't mind…but I want him to be happy too-is that selfish of me?" Sakura asked. All three girls stared at her wide eyed, completely surprised by what she had just said. "Syaoran's actually more protective of children than of adults, excluding you and his only friends…" Tomoyo murmured. "I don't think it's selfish to want him to be happy, and you know I'm sure that he'd be happier if you have his children." Chii winked. "You really think so?" Sakura asked. "Of course! I mean, it would be so cute to have little Syaoran's and Sakura's running around!" Sora squealed with excitement. "I swear you are such a spaz." Tomoyo face-palmed. Sakura laughed. "You guys are such great friends; thank you so much." She smiled.

Meanwhile, the boys were playing Thirty-One. The rules were simple; each player was dealt three cards while the dealer dealt themselves two hands, picking up one and choosing whether or not to keep the hand or throw it in the middle. They had three chips and the aim was to get three cards in the same suit that added up to thirty one-the jack, king and queen were all worth ten. The ace was worth eleven. Any card below seven wasn't used in the game. The first person to lose all their chips was put on the goat which was basically an extra life. If a player collected three of the same cards-for example three kings-they had thirty and a half. The ace was vital to getting thirty one as it was worth eleven, and it seemed that all of the boys were battling it out for the winning hand. "So Syaoran, what's on your mind?" Fai asked as he threw a card down and picked up another. "Nothing." He lied. "Ha, spit it out." Yuui snorted. Syaoran rolled his eyes, "Fine, you got me." He admitted. "Cough up." Fai smiled. "Sakura asked how I'd feel about being a father." Fai, Yuui and Kurogane stared at him. "Well, what did you say?" Yuui asked. "Well, I said if it makes her happy then I'm happy with it…" he replied. "Hmm, I think you're missing the point; she wants to do something for you that would make you happy." Fai said. Syaoran blinked for a moment-of course she did! It was so like her! But is that what she wanted? "Well, now that I think about it having children sounds nice, but I don't want her to have to go through any pain if she doesn't want that." Syaoran murmured. "Maybe you should ask her." Kurogane suggested. "Thirty-One." Syaoran threw down his cards and left to go and pick up Sakura.

Sora looked up as Syaoran opened the door and casually walked in. "Hello dear brother, how may we help you?" she asked poshly. "I've come to retrieve my wife." He answered. "Coming!" Sakura called from the other room in Sora's house. Sakura walked out wearing a white dress that hung neatly off her hips and down to her ankles with short flowing sleeves. "You look beautiful." He smiled. "Of course she does!" Chii piped up. "Shall we go?" Sakura smiled up at her husband. "Sure." He replied, holding her hand. "Have fun you two!" Sora called out as they left.

It was a cold night, so they had the fire going in their small house. Sakura stared into the fire, thinking about the upcoming battle. "Syaoran?" Sakura whispered his name, calling for his attention. "What's wrong?" he asked softly. "I'm afraid of the battle…" she admitted. He stood up and sat down next to her, lacing his fingers through hers. "It will be fine." He said comfortingly. She stayed quiet. She didn't want him to fight-she had an uneasy feeling, sort of like something bad was going to happen to him. "I don't want you to go." She whispered, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I have to." He said sadly. She turned her body and crawled onto his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I know…but it's to protect you and I won't let them have you- especially not after what happened." He murmured, hugging her tightly. "I'm tired…" she whispered as she looked up into his eyes. "Let's go to bed then." He smiled, picking her up.

Sakura stood bare-foot outside the house; it was cold and raining, thunder and lightning crashing overhead. She looked up to see Syaoran lying in a pool of blood, no sign of life. "Syaoran…?" she called out his name, hoping for a response. He didn't stir. She ran to his side and knelt down, tears running down her face. "Syaoran wake up!" she cried. He still didn't stir as she shook his cold bleeding body. She felt all emotions leave her body. She felt numb. "…kura…" she didn't look to see who was speaking. "…Sakura…" they called her name again. "…-ake up." That same voice.

"Sakura, wake up!" Her eyes snapped open. She was breathing heavily and her heart was racing. Her hair was sticking to the sweat on her face and the sheet clung to her naked body. "Syaoran?!" she breathed-it was early morning, at least two. "You had a nightmare; it's alright." He whispered softly as he wiped her tears away. "Please-don't fight!" she cried flinging her arms around his shoulders and crying into his bare chest. "I'm sorry Sakura, but that's not an option." He replied softly. "But you could die-I don't know what I'd do without you!"

"Sakura…I'm sorry, I have to go."

Sakura looked at him with pleading eyes. "No…" she whispered. "I have to go." He said a little more sternly. "Then I'm coming with you!" she said. "No you aren't." He told her. "Syaoran, I'm not staying here while you go out to fight! I want to come!" she argued. "You can't. It's too dangerous." He said grabbing her shoulders and pushing her down into the pillows. "Syaoran, this is my problem! This started all because of me! It's my responsibility." She argued, trying to move but his weight kept her still. "This isn't your fault." He said sternly. "Syaoran…I'm going…" she said. "You won't change your mind? No matter what?" the seriousness in his eyes made tears fall down her face, but she couldn't let him go without her. "No, I won't." she whispered. He looked at her sadly, "I'll let you come, but I'll still try to change your mind." He sighed.

Syaoran woke to the sound of shouting; he rolled over and shook Sakura awake. She groaned and sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "What's wrong?" she asked. "The villagers are outside." He murmured. "Why would they be here now…?" she asked. "I don't know." He murmured, getting up and pulling on his clothes. Sakura quickly pulled on a dressing gown and followed him to the door, staying behind him.

Swinging the door open he stepped outside and grabbed their attention. "What do you think you're doing here?" he asked. Villagers, men and women alike all looked his way. "We want the girl!" they shouted. "Well too bad, you can't have her." He growled. "Syaoran, they look like they want to kill you…" Sakura whispered, tugging on his sleeve. "That's not going to happen; stay back." Sakura stayed where she was, watching as Syaoran stepped towards the crowd. "Who's going to fight me-be warned, I control the wolves of this forest." He smirked. Many of the men stepped forward to take up his challenge, and all Sakura could think about was the dream she'd had.

He stood smiling as his wolves surrounded the villagers and made a barricade around Sakura so that she wouldn't be harmed in any way. "Attack!" one of the male villagers yelled his order. Syaoran ducked and dodged all attacks coming his way, an icy grin on his face as he took them all out one by one. Sakura had seen this side of her husband many times when she'd been attacked by wild animals or was sparring against his mates. Another bunch of men attacked him, but he fended them off easily. To Syaoran, each punch from the villagers was weak. Their attacks were in vain-they weren't going to win. This continued on for a good ten minutes, and even knowing that Syaoran was the strongest fighter Sakura still felt uneasy.

As he was blocking attacks from one of the men, Sakura watched as a couple of others quietly made their way behind him. The wolves growled and Sakura screamed out his name, but it was too late. She watched as the sharp knife came slicing through the air and pierced his flesh. They removed the knife and Sakura watched as blood came gushing from the wound. He fell to the ground, blood pooling out beneath him. "SYAORAN!" Sakura screamed. Seeing his body lying on the ground, him dying, had torn her apart. "You killed him…" she hissed, "YOU KILLED HIM!" A gold light surrounded her body and high winds surrounded her. "Just DIE!" she screamed. Ice crystals flew in all directions, piercing the flesh of each person. "What the hell!?" one of the girls shouted. "She's a sorceress!" someone else shouted. Sakura turned their way, an icy glare in her eyes as she sent more ice crystals towards them, killing them. She used the wind to suffocate some of the others who were trying to make their way over to her to kill her.

Syaoran made his way back to consciousness and immediately felt the strong amount of magic around him, protecting his body. He blinked a few times and looked around for Sakura, spotting her almost immediately. He stood up and pushed his way through the wind, calling out to her. "Sakura-calm down!" he called out to her, trying to stop her rage. He could smell the fresh blood of the dead villagers around him, and knew that he had to stop her from bloodying her hands further. "Sakura, stop! I'm alright!" He shouted. She paid no attention-could she even hear him? He had to stop her-and quickly.

He moved quickly until he was standing in front of her. He pulled her into his arms and locked lips with her; Sakura snapped back to reality, realising who was holding her. He wasn't dead! She relaxed into the kiss; the wind died down and the golden aura around her disappeared. She felt exhausted from the amount of power she'd used-power she didn't know she had. "Thank god…you're alive…" she smiled before passing out in his arms. "I'm sorry to scare you like that, my sweet Sakura." He whispered. "Kill them." He ordered his wolves. The growling beasts surrounded the remaining villagers while Syaoran carried Sakura away.

Sora and Chii looked up, smiling as they saw their leader. "Syaoran you're alright!" they called out. "Duh." He replied as he walked over. "We felt the amount of power radiating from Sakura-what the hell happened?" Sora asked. "I was stabbed in the back and while I was healing my wound Sakura lost herself in thinking I was probably dead. She killed so many of them…" pain showed in his eyes for his wife-he had hoped that she'd never have to kill anyone. "Oh my god…" Chii whispered. "_Who_ is she?" Sora asked. "We'll discuss that later, but right now we have to deal with everyone else down at the village." Syaoran said. "We'll get the others!" Sora announced cheerfully. "Alright." Syaoran agreed.

The villagers feared his presence in the city. It meant that everyone who had gone to fight had been killed. Sakura's dressing gown was hanging off her shoulders, but Syaoran couldn't fix it because he was holding her as he walked through the village. "_Will you still dare to oppose us?" _He questioned the entire village. It was just like that time he'd given out the warning. The village leader walked out and stood waiting for Syaoran to approach him. "It seems we've lost so many citizens…such fools. Please, I beg of your forgiveness; we won't come anywhere near the forest or near your wife. Please, continue to protect this village." The elderly man begged. Many of the villagers had noticed the hostile feelings of the rest of the guardians; they were all flaring with anger. "I gave this village a chance, and you all chose to ignore it." Syaoran growled. "I'm begging you…the spirits will destroy us all!" The village leader pleaded. "Tch-Fine. But if anyone from this village enters the forest, I will not hesitate to remove the barrier and destroy this village!" Syaoran spat, motioning his head at the rest of the guardians as he span and left the leader standing there feeling relieved.

Once they were back at their leader's house they allowed Syaoran to place Sakura in a comfortable position on the couch while they conducted their meeting about her powers. They had known about them for a while, but they had no idea exactly how strong she was until now. "Her powers are so incredibly strong I'm surprised that she managed to keep them suppressed for so long." Fai murmured. "She wasn't even aware of her powers…" Syaoran murmured. "Is it possible that she's a descendant of the lost magicians?" Tomoyo asked. Syaoran frowned in thought for a moment-it was possible, but he wasn't certain. "I have new orders; find any possible link to Sakura's past and keep an eye on the village in case of any suspicious moves." He said sternly. "Understood." Everyone answered. "You are all dismissed." He said softly. As Sora walked out the door she called out to Syaoran, "As soon as she wakes up, jump her-bet she'll like that!" she grinned. "Sora-out!" Syaoran growled. "Well someone has something up his ass-and it's sideways." She muttered looking to her right. "I heard that." He glared. "No you didn't." she smiled evilly. "Yes, I did you unicorn turd."

"Oh, oh, now it's twisting! OH WAIT-I think I can hear it sliding!?"

"You are the most disgusting thing in existence."

"I'll take that as a compliment since I'm your sister. Now, have fun with your wife!" she sang as she walked out the door.

"I will." He muttered under his breath. All he could hear as his sister walked away from his residence was her laughter. He turned around and sighed, shaking his head. "She is such an embarrassment."

**Isn't Sora glorious? **

**Don't forget to review xD**


	4. You're WHAT?

**How do I spend most of my holidays? Making up lines for Sora with my best friends. Yeah, that's right. I'm completely freaking amazing. I kid, I kid.**

**Anyway, I do hope you enjoy. Lol, I had too much fun writing this chapter.**

Sakura was still asleep when Tomoyo came rushing through the door of Syaoran's house. "Tomoyo, what's wrong?" Syaoran asked. "I was in the village and one of the villagers was speaking with a man about Sakura's powers-I don't know how they found out, but they're sending a hunter into the forest to kill her!" Tomoyo explained. "I knew they'd pull something stupid like this." He grumbled. "What will we do?" Tomoyo asked. "We'll wait and see what happens." Syaoran murmured. "I'll alert the others." Tomoyo said, leaving. "Thank you Tomoyo." Syaoran smiled.

It would have been about sunset when Sora came barging through Syaoran's door-again-in the form of a canary. "Look Syaoran-I'm a duck!" she announced as she strutted into the room. Syaoran stared at her with a raised eye brow, "Sora, you're a canary." He told her. "I'm a what?" she replied surprised. "You're a canary Sora." Syaoran replied.

"I'm not a canary, I'm a duck!" Sora argued.

"Sora, you are a canary." Syaoran sighed.

"But I'm a duck, see; quack, quack."

"That is the word to describe the sound that a duck makes, but that is not the actual sound. You. Are. A. Canary."

"Listen here you mangy mutt, I'm a duck!"

"Syaoran, why is there a canary in the middle of our living room?" Sakura asked as she rubbed her sleepy eyes. "I'm a duck!" Sora squawked. "Really, then what's this?" Syaoran asked, holding up a picture of a duck. "A canary." She answered. "No, that was a picture of a duck. You're a canary Sora." Sakura yawned. "I am?" she asked. "Yes." Sakura replied, curling up next to Syaoran. "SYAORAN, WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?" Sora screeched. "I DID, BUT YOU WOULDN'T LISTEN!" He shouted back. "I would have remembered if you TOLD ME." Sora argued. "I give up." Syaoran groaned, covering his face with his hands. "So Sakura, how are you feeling?" Sora asked as she returned to her human form. "Exhausted…what happened…?" she asked. Syaoran's hand tightened around her shoulder, and Sakura immediately knew something was wrong. "You're powers activated in yesterday's battle…do you remember?" Syaoran asked softly. Sakura thought for a moment, and remembered Syaoran lying in a pool of blood and the events following. "I killed them, didn't I…?" she whispered. Syaoran looked at her sadly, but he didn't hate her-how could he hate her for something like that? More than anything, he felt responsible. "I'm sorry I scared you…it's my fault that you have the blood of villagers on your hands." He murmured. "All that matters is that you're alive-I don't care anymore." She smiled softly-Syaoran could see the guilt in her eyes, and how she was trying so hard to bury it like all of her other hostile emotions towards the village. "Oh speaking of Sakura's powers-I come bearing NEWS." Sora announced. Sakura looked up at Syaoran with questioning eyes. "I asked them to look into your background because someone's coming after you." He murmured, answering her question. "What's the news then?" Syaoran asked.

"Well; I went into town and asked a few questions about Sakura's family-apparently her parents moved there saying they were escaping from some problems when they had Sakura, and when she was young they disappeared without a trace, leaving her to take care of herself. So, I did a little more snooping around and apparently Sakura's parents helped out a lot so they had good harvests and such, but everything went downhill when they disappeared and pinned the blame on Sakura, saying that she was a curse and crap." Sora said.

Sakura remembered the day when her parents had left her; they'd told her to stay safe in the village and that they would be back soon as they had to go somewhere, but they never returned. She was about seven when that happened, but Sakura had been receiving a lot of hate from the children in the village prior to those events because she'd saved a baby bird from dying. "Sakura, did your parents ever tell you stories about magic users or anything like that?" Syaoran asked softly. Sakura's eyes widened-she remembered all of the stories she'd heard from her mother; they spoke of how magic was used for helping people, but because everyone feared their power they were wiped out. "Yes…my mother told me stories of how magic was once a special gift to have and was used to help people, but suddenly everyone came to fear their power and hunters were sent out to wipe them all out…but in the end there was a child who defeated the hunters-it was my favourite story…" she replied. Suddenly everything made sense to her; her parents were magicians as was she and they hadn't abandoned her as she originally thought, but were murdered. They knew they were being hunted, and they had left to protect her-now she was being hunted. "Syaoran, it all makes sense now…" she whispered. "Sakura, I'm going to protect you." He told her, lifting her chin up so that they made eye contact. "You're always protecting me…" She smiled. "Well he wouldn't if he didn't love you~!" Sora sang, dancing like an idiot in the middle of their living room. "Why do you have to be such a retard?" Syaoran complained. "Pfft, I'm everyone's amusement. Shut up." Sora retorted. Sakura giggled at the two siblings, amused by their silly arguments.

Syaoran lay next to Sakura staring up at the ceiling while she was mending the hole in her coat. She was humming a soft tune that seemed to put him at ease, reminding him of when she used to sing to herself back when he would sleep with his head in her lap all those years ago on the top of the hill. He found himself smiling at the memory, gaining Sakura's attention. "What are you thinking about?" she smiled. "When you used to sing while I'd lie down with my head in your lap before we were married." He replied. "You have a beautiful voice." He smiled. Sakura blushed and returned to her sewing feeling a little embarrassed. "I'm not that good…" she mumbled. "Do you ever get lonely when I'm not around…?" Syaoran asked softly, changing the subject. Sakura placed her things away and turned to face him. "Sometimes I do, but I know you'll always come back to me. And I have Sora and Chii and the others to keep me company." She smiled. "Sometimes I worry about leaving you for too long because I don't want you to feel alone, and sometimes I fear for your safety." He murmured. Sakura moved to sit on him and smiled, kissing him gently. "You worry too much." She giggled. "Yes, and you two are a perfect match!" Sora sang from the doorway. "What the hell are you doing here?!" Syaoran asked. "I came to check up on Sakura-duh!" his sister replied, rolling her eyes. "But I see you two are at it again, so obviously she's fine. Have a good night you two-and see you in the morning Syaoran!" Sora sang as she skipped out the door. "She has the worst timing _ever_…" Sakura groaned. Syaoran laughed and agreed, "She sure does." He said.

A few moments later Sora came back into the room, staring at the two. She seemed to be thinking hard about something, and before Sakura or Syaoran could ask she spoke. "You know…if you two were to have kids, then that would mean you'd have sex…" She said casually. Sakura turned bright red and Syaoran glared at his sister. "Sora-get out!" he shouted. "Leaving!" Sora laughed, running out the door and leaving the two alone again. This time, she didn't come back.

Sakura hid her face from Syaoran, completely embarrassed by what just happened. He smiled up at her, brushing his hand along her cheek gently before pulling her in for a kiss. As soon as she leant in he untied the back of her dress and flipped her around onto the bed so that he was leaning over her. She smiled, looking into his deep amber eyes and grabbing his shirt to pull him in for another kiss. "I love you." She whispered as she unbuttoned his shirt. "I love you too." He smiled back before kissing her.

About a week later Sakura woke with a small fever. She figured it wasn't really anything to be worried about, so she rolled over and wrapped her arms around Syaoran's body before falling back to sleep.

The fever continued to stay with her for the rest of the week, but she didn't tell Syaoran anything; she didn't want to worry him and she felt fine. Even so, Syaoran still thought she was acting weird whenever he asked her if something was wrong.

It was a sunny afternoon when she went to visit the girls as Syaoran was out patrolling the borders with Fai, Yuui and Kurogane. She sat with Chii, Freya, Tomoyo and Sora, picking at her cake. She wasn't feeling particularly well that day, and her fever was higher than it had been. "Don't feel like cake today?" Tomoyo asked. "Not really…" Sakura mumbled. "Sakura, are you alright? You don't look well." Chii said worriedly. "I'm fine-don't worry about me." She smiled as she went to stand up; suddenly everything went blurry and she couldn't see straight. She fell to the floor and the girls rushed to her side. "She's not alright-she has a high fever!" Sora groaned. "Please…don't tell Syaoran; I don't want him to worry about me-he's so busy…" Sakura said. The girls looked at each other and then back at Sakura. "Fine, we won't tell him-but we're taking you home so that you can rest." Freya spoke. "Thank you…" Sakura smiled.

Chii stayed to look after Sakura while Freya, Tomoyo and Sora all left claiming to go find the herbs for a medicine. "Sakura, how long have you been feeling like this for?" Chii asked while embroidering a pretty floral pattern onto blue silk. "Possibly the last week and a half…" she mumbled. Chii stopped to stare at her. "And you didn't _tell_ him!? That's the stupidest thing ever!" the blonde groaned. "Sorry…" Sakura replied quietly. Suddenly she felt her stomach clench painfully and jumped up to run for the door. "Sakura-what's wrong?!" Chii placed her things down and ran after Sakura. She was on her knees and bent over, breathing heavily. Chii held Sakura's hair out of the way as she vomited, rubbing her back soothingly. "I'll go get you some water." Chii murmured, rushing back inside and returning with a glass of water. Sakura sipped at it slowly, still feeling ill.

Sora found Syaoran with little difficulty, finding them at the very edge of the border that looked out over the village. Fai looked over at the approaching brunette and smiled. "What brings you out here, Sora?" Fai asked. Syaoran turned his head and rolled his eyes as his sister skipped over to him and slammed her hand down hard on his shoulder. "What do you want?" Syaoran asked. "I come bearing news of your wife!" Sora replied cheerfully. "Is something wrong?" he asked almost immediately. "Your wife is sick, faggot!" She sang. "Fuck…" he groaned. "She has a rather high fever; you know, she told us not to tell you but as if she'd be able to keep it from you for long." Sora said while spinning around in circles. "I thought something was off about her…" Syaoran muttered. "So, what are you going to do?" Sora asked. Syaoran stayed quiet for a moment-he wanted to go to her, but he also needed to keep an eye out for the hunter. "Hey, we'll look after her and all until you get back tonight, but what I really want to know is what you're going to say to her." Sora smirked. "You know, for a little sister you sure are incredibly annoying." Syaoran muttered. "I can't say I'm exactly happy that she's been hiding it from me, but it's not like I'm going to yell at her for it; I know what she's like…" he trailed off. He knew exactly why she wouldn't tell him-she didn't want to get in his way or cause problems for him. But didn't she know that he'd just worry about her more if she kept quiet about being sick? He'd have a talk to her about that later. "Thanks, Sora. I really appreciate it." He said softly. "Alright then, we'll see you tonight!" She sang as she bounded off into the forest.

Fai and Yuui looked at Syaoran knowing full well that he was worried about her. "Are you sure you want to stay out here?" Yuui asked. Syaoran continued walking along the border line with his hands in his pockets. "I'll allow Sakura to think that I don't know for now because that's what she wants. I'll make sure she's protected at all costs." He replied softly. The two blondes looked at each other and shrugged.

Sora sat with the rest of the girls on the floor of the bedroom while Sakura sat in the bed drinking the medicine that they had made for her. "Now listen here Sakura, you're going to be on a strict diet until we know what's wrong with you!" Chii told her. Sakura groaned; the last time she was placed on a strict diet was when she had fallen severely ill a few years back. It sucked. "Hey-you want to get better, don't you?" Tomoyo asked. "Yeah…" Sakura mumbled. "Oh come on, it's not that bad. Besides, you don't want to worry Syaoran now." Sora grinned. "Fine." Sakura pouted-she hated not being able to eat her favourite foods.

When Syaoran returned he immediately walked straight to the bedroom where Sakura was. The rest of the girls were sitting on the floor doing their own individual thing-Sora was weaving a basket with straw, Chii was continuing on with her embroidery, Freya was playing solitaire and Tomoyo was playing with a kitten. Sakura looked up and immediately knew that he knew. "Guys, I told you not to tell!" she said. "They were following my orders." Syaoran said, sitting down beside her and checking her temperature. "What?" Sakura asked. "I told them to tell me if anything was wrong." He replied. "You worry too much…" Sakura muttered. "Says she who was worried about causing me problems; you know you're the most important thing in my life, and you know I don't like it when you hide things from me." He said sternly. Sakura puffed out her cheeks in irritation, but immediately felt guilty for worrying him. Her eyes filled with tears and she clenched her fists in the sheets. "We're gonna leave now; call us if you need anything, alright?" Tomoyo smiled. Syaoran looked over at the door to find the girls standing there, about to leave. "Thanks for looking after her while I was gone." Syaoran smiled. "Anytime!" Sora waved.

Once the girls left Sakura sat in silence, not saying a word. She was annoyed that the girls had told Syaoran, but she was more annoyed with herself for getting sick. She'd caused him to worry over her, and she hated that. She was snapped away from her thoughts by her husband pulling her into his arms. "If you don't tell me if you're in pain or sick, then I can't help you. I don't want to lose you." He whispered. "I'm sorry…" Sakura said quietly. "It alright, but please, don't hide anything from me anymore." He pleaded. Sakura smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry I broke our promise. It won't happen again." She said softly.

A few weeks passed by and Sakura finally figured out what was wrong with her-at least, she hoped she was correct. Everything was pointing to the same thing; the weight gain despite her healthy eating and movement, waking up every morning feeling ill, how she hadn't had her period yet, how she was often feeling fatigued or tired, the strange mood swings. Her breasts were unusually sore, and she often got cravings for certain things while turning up her nose at some of her favourite things. She figured she'd go see Tomoyo and ask her as she was the least likely to freak out on her.

Luckily for her, she found Tomoyo down bathing at the springs just like she was about to. Syaoran told Sakura that he'd meet her back at home as he didn't like staying around if there were other girls bathing-he preferred to let them have their privacy.

Tomoyo smiled as Sakura entered the water, greeting her cheerfully. "Good morning Sakura, how are you feeling today? Better?" the dark haired guardian asked. Sakura smiled back a little awkwardly and waited until she knew Syaoran was completely gone. "Well that's actually what I wanted to talk to you about." She said quietly. Tomoyo blinked in surprise and sat next to Sakura in the water so that they could talk comfortably. "So what's wrong?" Tomoyo asked. Sakura took in a deep breath to calm her nerves, wondering how to word it. "Well…I think I might be pregnant…" Sakura said quietly. Tomoyo's eyes widened and jaw dropped. She was speechless for a few seconds, but regained herself quickly, "Sakura, that's amazing! Have you told Syaoran yet?" her friend asked excitedly. "No, you see I'm not entirely sure yet. That's why I came to you since I know you can sense other life forces…" Sakura trailed off. "And you don't know how to tell him either." Tomoyo nodded in understanding. "I'm going to place my hand on your stomach to see if I can feel anything, alright?" Tomoyo said. "Alright…" Sakura took a few deep breaths, still trying to calm herself. She felt Tomoyo's hand against her stomach; she moved it around a bit and grinned at her friend who stared back at her. "Was I right?" Sakura asked. "Sakura, oh my god! Congratulations!" Tomoyo said excitedly while hugging her friend. "I don't know how to tell everyone let alone Syaoran." Sakura said voicing her worries. "Why not just tell everyone all at once?" Tomoyo suggested. "I guess…" Sakura mumbled, slipping herself further into the water. "I'll be there right behind you, promise." Tomoyo smiled. Sakura sighed with relief and smiled back, "Thank you so much Tomoyo, I knew you wouldn't freak out on me." She laughed. Tomoyo burst out with laughter, "If anyone were to freak out on you it would be Sora and Chii!" she laughed. "Yeah, that's why I didn't go to them." Sakura giggled.

Syaoran looked up as Sakura and Tomoyo entered the household-Tomoyo looking excited and Sakura looking a little worried. Fai, Yuui and Kurogane were also in the room with Syaoran, so the looks on the two girl's faces spiked their interest. "What are you looking so excited about Tomoyo?" Fai asked curiously. "That's for me to know and Sakura to tell. But not until everyone is here." Tomoyo sang. Syaoran looked at Sakura, confused as to what was going on. She smiled awkwardly and went to stand over beside him. "What's going on?" he asked, holding her hand. "I'll tell you when the others are here…it's something everyone should know…" she replied quietly.

It didn't take long for Sora and Chii to come skipping through the door with Freya, Kamui, Subaru, Yuuko and Tora walking in behind them. They took seats in the room and stared expectantly at Sakura, wondering what she had to say. Sakura began to feel nervous and uneasy, unknowing of what to say. "Sakura, is everything alright?" Syaoran asked, standing up. "It's ok, go ahead." Tomoyo said comfortingly. "Please don't freak out on me when I tell you this," Sakura began, "I'm pregnant."

Syaoran stared at her unbelievingly. "You're WHAT?" he asked. "I said I'm pregnant." Sakura repeated, her face bright red. Before he had time to say anything, Sora ran over to him and punched him, knocking him onto the floor. He glared up at her, "What was that for!?" Syaoran shouted. "CONGRATULATIONS ON SUCCESSFULLY KNOCKING UP YOUR WIFE. Now get off the floor." Sora said while dusting off her dress and turning to Sakura, taking her hands in her own. "Well you know what Sakura; you're built to have babies!" Sora said cheerfully. Sakura blinked a few times, shocked by Sora's over excitement. "Uh…thanks?" Sakura said. Fai looked at his brother with a smirk on his face, "That will be fifty gold coins, thanks." He said. "Fuck." Yuui rolled his eyes and dug around in his pocket for the small pouch and dropped it in his brother's hand. Freya and Chii stared at Sakura and the speechless Syaoran. "Ha-ha, wooow…" Freya laughed awkwardly. "You dog." Chii smirked at her leader. He leant back against the table, still letting the news sink in. "Syaoran…?" Sakura called for his attention. He placed his hands on her hips and drew her in for a hug, "You aren't joking, right?" he asked. "No Syaoran, it's true." Sakura replied, wrapping her hands around him. "Wow…a child, huh?" he smiled, thinking of what their future would be like. She went to hold his hand but was dragged away by excited guardians, pestering her with questions and congratulating her.

"You're going to have to be extra careful if that hunter finds out about Sakura." Kurogane had walked up beside Syaoran. "I know…I might have to ask a few favours." Syaoran replied darkly. "I don't think anyone will mind." Tora grinned up at Syaoran. "Thanks, Tora." Syaoran smiled. "Hey Syaoran-get over here!" Sora shouted. "What-why?" he asked as Chii pulled him over to receive glomping from everyone. "Sora you're heavy, get off." He complained. "Are you calling me fat?" she asked. "YES NOW GET OFF." He said while struggling to breath for air. "What did you say?" she growled. "Get off!" he repeated. "Sakura how could you marry such a jerk!?" Sora cried. "Sora…" Sakura groaned.

The entire day was practically celebrating, so Sakura and Syaoran hardly had any time alone together. But they did have fun with their friends, there was no doubt about that. The fun stopped when Tomoyo's aura flared up, her hair floating mystically around her body. Her eyes seemed as if they were looking to some place distant. She was having a dream of the future.

**What's Tomoyo dreaming about? What am I dreaming about!? Haha, Sakura loves to scare the crap out of everyone ;)**

**Review pretty please?**


	5. Hunter

**Homework...homework...well. I'm screwed! OMG. I JUST REMEMBERED MY STUDIO ART HOMEWORK. Eh, that won't be hard. Ok, i need to stop rambling! **

**Enjoy the chapter!**

"Sakura needs to be moved to a safer place; the enemy is making their move." Tomoyo warned Syaoran. "I see; Sora, can Sakura stay with you?" Syaoran asked. "Sure." Sora answered. Sakura looked up at Syaoran-she didn't want him to leave again. He smiled at her and kissed her softly on the lips, "Don't worry; I promise I'll come to you as soon as I know what's happening." His soft voice calmed her, but she still worried. "Be careful-all of you!" Sakura told them.

Sora sat her sister-in-law down comfortably and gave her a cool drink to help her relax a little, but it did nothing but quench her thirst. "Sakura, have some faith in him-he is the strongest of all of us. I mean come on, he can flip off a dozen villagers without breaking a sweat." Sora grinned. Sakura knew he was strong, but she still worried. They weren't dealing with ordinary villagers, they were dealing with someone who would be able to fend off magic spells and break through barriers.

Syaoran returned late, sitting by Sakura's side as she slept. He felt something hit him hard across the back of the head and hissed in pain. "What was that for?!" he growled, keeping his voice down so that he didn't wake Sakura. "You left your wife alone! I swear, you're the one that should be staying with her-not me! I'll keep guard." Sora stormed out of her house, slamming the door behind her. Syaoran smiled at his own stupidity, "I deserved that…I shouldn't have left you, especially not after finding out the reason behind your feeling ill." He whispered, brushing her hair out of her sleeping face.

Sora shook the couple awake in the middle of the night with an urgent message. "Syaoran-you _have_ to get Sakura out of here _immediately_!" she urged. Without a second thought he picked Sakura up and turned to his sister. "Don't die." He ordered. "Don't worry-I'll be fine." Sora smiled. "Now go!" she pushed them out the door and watched as her brother went deeper into the forest. "Now come face me you stupid bastard." She muttered under her breath, taking her offensive stance.

Fai and Chii were faced by two men; they clearly weren't from the village as the gear that they were carrying consisted of several guns, different types of bullets and other weaponry. "Who are you?" Chii spat, manifesting her weapon which took the form of a long headed spear and pointing it at them. "We serve the hunter Dante, and we're looking for the girl." The man on the right answered. "Underlings huh? Geez, the village really wants her dead, don't they?" Fai muttered. "Let's teach these faggots a lesson." Chii grinned.

Freya and Yuui sat on top of the two underlings that had dared to confront them playing cards. "These guys were hardly any effort at all." Freya complained. "Ha, I know what you mean." Yuui laughed. "I hope Sakura and Syaoran are alright because if it's who they say it is that's after her…" Freya trailed off. "This could be a tough one." Yuui finished for her. They looked at each other, both sharing the same worry for their leader and friends. "Oh by the way-royal flush." Yuui said, throwing his cards down. "Ah fuck." Freya groaned.

Syaoran ran with Sakura, coming to an abrupt stop when he noticed the silhouette of someone up ahead. They approached the couple and Syaoran realised that the person who was standing before him was a woman; she had long dark wavy hair that fell to the middle of her back and cruel teal eyes. She carried a sword in her left hand and had her right hand stuffed in the pocket of her coat. "Hello Dante." Syaoran growled. The woman smiled cruelly, "I'm surprised you know my name." she said. "I'm a god; I know a lot of things about this world." He replied. "Syaoran-who is she?" Sakura whispered. "Her name is Dante; she's the strongest hunter and also the cruellest." He answered. "That's right. Your last name used to be Kinomoto, right? I was surprised to find that Nadeshiko had a child." Dante laughed. "So you're the one that killed my parents?" Sakura hissed. "Oh yes; they were so much fun to torture." The woman grinned. "Sakura's under the protection of the guardians; you have no right to hunt her." Syaoran growled. "Oh no, that's not how I see it. Any magician that still lives is prey that has to be hunted down and exterminated." Dante smiled. "Sakura, if anyone tries to attack you while I'm fighting Dante, use the knife I gave you. Stand back." Syaoran murmured. "Be careful." She said, moving to find a safe place to hide. "Well, shall we start then?" Dante asked. "Bring it." Syaoran spat, clapping his hands together and drawing out his own sword.

She lunged at him, clashing swords. He fought back skilfully, dodging and blocking each attack. "You're good." Dante grinned, bearing her teeth. "As are you." Syaoran answered, sweeping his leg under her knees and knocking her off her feet. She did a back flip and regained her balance, quick to block Syaoran's next attack. Syaoran didn't see the hunter pull a dagger from her pocket and was taken by surprise when she stabbed him in the shoulder with it. He pulled it out and threw it to the side, feeling immense pain. His shoulder wasn't healing the way it normally would. "That dagger was coated in a substance made from a magician's blood that stops any sort of healing abilities to take place. Can you feel the immense pain that it brings?" The woman laughed cruelly. "You bitch." He growled. Despite the fact that his shoulder hurt like hell, he continued to fight. They were evenly matched with his injured shoulder, but that didn't stop him from fighting.

Sakura watched Syaoran fight, praying for his safety. He was fighting for her, and she felt useless. She watched as he was disarmed and left standing there breathless. Even then, he continued to fight using techniques he had picked up during his immortal life.

Syaoran kicked the hunter in the gut sending her flying into a nearby tree. She landed on the ground and looked up at him with a blood thirsty grin on her face. Once again, they engaged in battle. He was just about to have the sword run through him when Sakura appeared behind Dante with her knife in hand and slit the hunter's throat. She stepped to the side to allow the hunter fall to the ground and bleed out. Sakura dropped the knife and hugged Syaoran tightly, finding herself crying into his shoulder. "I was so scared that you'd die!" She cried. "I'm sorry, Sakura, I'm sorry." He whispered, rubbing her back gently as he held her. He clicked his fingers and slowly the dead body began to fade away into dust which was carried off by the wind.

It seemed that everyone else had done the same. The bodies of their opponents were turning to dust, following after their mistress. Syaoran met up with Sora who was staring at the fading body before her. She looked up a smiled with relief, glad that they were ok. She noticed the wound on Syaoran's left shoulder and threw a small clear glass bottle at him full of a clear liquid. "Thanks." Syaoran said, taking the lid off and drinking the liquid. His wound healed instantly. "What was that?" Sakura asked, looking up at Syaoran. "An antidote to the poison from that dagger." Syaoran replied, shoving the bottle in his pocket. "So, what are we gonna do?" Sora asked. "I guess we'll take down the barrier that's stopping the spirits of this forest from crossing into the village, and put up another so that no human other than Sakura may enter." Syaoran replied. Sora laughed, "Bitches deserve it." She smirked. "I sent one of the wolves to give the message to the other guardians and to meet us down at the village. Let's go." Syaoran said. Sora looked at Sakura and noticed the blood on the sleeve of her dress. _How'd that get there?_ She wondered as she followed after them.

The village leader was reading an old book when Syaoran startled him. The guardian was leaning against the wall of the dimly lit room, unnoticed until he spoke. "I have an announcement to make for the whole village." Syaoran said. The elderly man jumped and looked up to see where the voice was coming from and spotted Syaoran. "Call the town together." He ordered, leaving the leader shocked and confused.

Once all of the villagers had gathered in the centre square, Syaoran spoke. Sakura stood next to him with uncaring eyes, staring into the distance. The rest of the guardians had spread themselves among the rooftops of buildings that surrounded the centre square, staring down at the people. "I asked your leader to gather you all here so that I could let you all know that the pact between the village and guardians is now null and void due to having sent a hunter in after Sakura." Syaoran spoke loud and clear so that everyone could hear him. Roars of outrage came from the audience upon hearing the news. "The barrier protecting this village from the spirits of the forest will disappear and we will be placing a new one up that prevents any human from entering, excluding Sakura." He continued. "It's that girl's fault!" Someone cried out. "Oh no, Sakura isn't the problem. It's your stupidity; you continue to hunt her down like she's some kind of animal, but she's just an innocent girl who's gifted." Sora called out from her place among the rooftops. Sakura stepped forward; she had finally snapped completely. "Syaoran's being kind by telling you this. In my opinion you should all die a painful death." She hissed. The corner of Syaoran's mouth curved up into a half smile, amused by his wife's words. "You know, she has a point." Chii called out lazily. "It's a pity that you're people had to make the dumb decision to attack." Freya yawned. "You brought this on yourselves, so don't blame it on my wife." Syaoran said bitterly, standing up and walking in the direction of the forest hand in hand with Sakura. The guardians followed behind him, some of them taking animal form.

They were just on the edge of the forest when Sakura collapsed from fatigue and scared the crap out of Syaoran. He was relieved to find that she was just tired, but he still worried about her. "I'll be with everyone shortly; I'm just going to take Sakura home." He told Sora who had taken her true animal form, a unicorn. Being typical Sora, she whacked him in the middle of the forehead with her hoof. "Cool." She answered before prancing off and leaving Syaoran very annoyed.

He placed her on their bed and called upon two of his wolves to stay with her to keep her company while he was gone, which he hoped wouldn't be too long. He left to meet up with the other guardians who were standing dead set in the middle of the forest, waiting to take their places. Chii and Sora looked up as he approached and called out to the others. "He's here." Chii announced. "It's time." Syaoran spoke as he joined up with them.

Everyone took their respective places and being the strongest Syaoran was the one to stand in the centre; he used the most power as he created the structure of the barriers and he was the main source for keep it up-if he were to for some reason disappear from the world the barrier's structure would snap and create chaos. Therefore, taking the barrier down took a lot of concentration and had to be done very carefully.

Twelve beams of light lit the very early morning sky momentarily; the barrier that was once used to keep the spirits from entering the village had been removed. Sakura felt the surge of magical power and woke up; she looked beside her and found a pair of wolves looking up at her. She smiled and reached out to pet one, feeling their soft fur underneath her fingers.

It was taking longer than Syaoran had originally thought to put up the barrier that would conceal the forest from human eyes; he was relieved and exhausted when it was finally put up, and fell back into the grass to catch his breath. Everyone had gathered back in the same spot around Syaoran who was still lying on the ground. "It's up…" He breathed a sigh of relief. "That's what he said!" Sora burst out laughing. "You are so immature." He muttered. "Pfft, you love it." She retorted.

Sakura looked up as Syaoran entered the room looking completely exhausted. "Syaoran-are you alright?" she got up and rushed over to help him. "I'm fine; just a little tired." He answered softly. "You used too much power again, didn't you?" she murmured. "A little." He smiled lamely before collapsing from exhaustion. "Silly boy-he's not the one who's supposed to be collapsing from exhaustion-he's not the one who's pregnant!" Sora was standing at the door. "Hi Sora." Sakura whispered, holding Syaoran's head in her lap. "He'll be fine; he's just tired." Sora winked. "That's good then." Sakura smiled, feeling a little relieved.

**-Four months later-**

Syaoran was hiding from his wife who had been chasing him around all day with a frying pan as a weapon; he hadn't expected her mood swings to be so crazy. One minute she was happy-go-lucky and the next she'd be pissed off about one thing or another. What really caught him off guard was when she went completely spastic-worse than Sora. "Syaoran-get back here!" Sakura's voice could be heard and she was close by-he didn't feel like being hit over the head again. It hurt. "Found you!" she sang, flinging her arms around his shoulders. "I want strawberries." She complained. "You had strawberries yesterday!" he groaned. "Pleeeease?" she begged, shaking his shoulders. "Fine, fine." He sighed, giving in. "Yay!" She cheered, pulling him by his hand.

He slumped back into the couch, exhausted from being dragged from one part of the forest to another. "I swear I don't think I'll be able to survive the next five months of her craziness." He muttered. "Well you know, you brought it on yourself." Sora snorted. "I know, I know." Syaoran said, rolling his eyes.

**-Five months later-**

Sakura was resting in bed with her hand against her stomach; she was due any day now, so she was on close watch by everyone. Every day the guardians would come to visit her to see how she was doing; it made her happy that everyone was so excited about the new life that was to come, especially Syaoran.

They left the room to give her some space and basically sat in the living room, chatting away. Sora and Chii were bouncing with excitement, wondering if the baby would be a girl or a boy. Fai and Yuui had placed bets on the gender of the child; Fai saying it would be a girl and Yuui saying it would be a boy. "Hey Syaoran, do you think your child is going to be a boy or a girl?" Fai asked. "You're placing bets again, aren't you?" Syaoran said. "I think it's gonna be a boy!" Sora sang. "Here we go again…" Syaoran muttered. Laughter and chatter filled the room, and even Syaoran was joining in.

Sakura walked in to see what was going on, curious about all the commotion. "Hey Sakura! How are you feeling?" Sora asked, bouncing over to Sakura. "Pretty good, I was kind of curious as to what all of the commotion was about." She giggled. "Fai and Yuui placed a bet on the baby's gender." Chii laughed. "Of course they did." Sakura rolled her eyes. She noticed Sora staring at her chest which had gotten larger in the last nine months. Sora reached her hands out and grabbed them, groping Sakura. "LOOKIT THEM BOOBIES!" Sora grinned. "Don't grope my wife!" Syaoran said, jumping up and pulling his sister away from the heavily pregnant Sakura. "Ooh, someone's jealous." Sora teased her brother. "Not even!" he retorted. "Guys…" Sakura whispered. They didn't hear her over their arguing. "-oh come on, just admit it-you're jealous!" Sora laughed. "I am not-

Syaoran's words were cut off by a loud thud to the ground. Sakura was breathing heavily on the floor in pain. "Sakura!" Syaoran rushed to her side and held her, staying calm. Chii was giving out orders for towels and cushions to help her stay comfortable and also for a bucket of hot water. Sora stood there freaking out, not knowing what to do. "Anyone who can't handle this get out-if you're going to stay and help then do so!" Tomoyo ordered as she helped Chii set up the towels and blankets. Sakura's contractions were becoming more frequent and even though she was in a lot of pain, Syaoran still managed to keep his composure.

The girls swapped in and out every few hours to get some rest; Sakura's screams of pain made everyone uneasy, especially Syaoran. But he knew that he needed to stay calm for Sakura's sake. "Come on Sakura, you can do it." Chii said soothingly as she wiped the sweat from around her friend's neck. She cried out in pain again and clenched her teeth as she pushed. "Shh, it's going to be alright." Syaoran whispered, wiping the sweat that was building up on her forehead. She cried out in pain again and all Sora could do was pace up and down outside the small cottage fretting over her sister-in-law.

It took sixteen hours for the first cry of a new born child to be heard, however Sakura was still in pain. "Why is she still in pain?" Syaoran asked; he was becoming frustrated and anxious about Sakura. "Tomoyo, I can see a head!" Chii cried. "Twins?!" Tomoyo said, handing the first child-a boy-to Freya so that she could help Sakura through the next birth. "Hold on Sakura, it will be over soon." Syaoran murmured, fighting back the tears as he was almost at his limit-he hated seeing her in so much pain; it was unbearable. It wasn't long until the second child was born, "It's a girl!" Tomoyo announced. "Twins, huh?" Sakura breathed heavily. "Sakura congratulations!" Chii smiled, handing her and Syaoran the twins. "They're so cute…" Sakura smiled softly as she held her first child. "I'll go tell the others." Tomoyo grinned, standing up. While she went to tell the others, Chii and Freya helped to move Sakura into the bedroom where she'd be a lot more comfortable.

Sora looked up to see Tomoyo with a big smile on her face. "How is she? Is she ok? What about the child? And Syaoran?" she bombarded Tomoyo with a million questions at once. "Wow, calm down! Sakura is fine; and she had twins! One's a boy and the other is a girl." Tomoyo announced happily. Fai and Yuui looked at each other, "Well, guess neither of us wins the bet." Yuui said. "How's Syaoran-is he alright?" Sora asked quickly. "He'll be alright; I'll go in and see if Sakura's up for visitors. She did just go through sixteen hours of pain-so be respectful." The violet eyed guardian said sternly.

Sakura was propped up against pillows wish Syaoran sitting next to her with his arm around her waist with a very happy smile on his face as he and Sakura held onto the two sleeping children. "Sakura, are you alright for visitors?" Tomoyo asked softly. "I'm sure I'll be fine." She smiled.

A few moments later Sora and the others came in to see the new born children. Sora beamed at the two little bundles of joy, "Aww, look at their cute little wolf ears!" Sora giggled. "They're so adorable!" Tora grinned. "What are their names?" Fai asked. Sakura looked up at Syaoran as if she was telling him to tell them. He smiled softly, remembering the names they'd agreed on. "Kouhei…and Shana." He answered. "What lovely names." Freya smiled. Everyone stayed for a small amount of time to see the children and left to allow Sakura to rest. She was very tired, but happy.

**Tora's the name of my Sister's cat...hahaha. **

**Review? ;_;**


	6. Mischief

**-Sigh- So i go back to school tomorrow for my first day of year eleven...And i'm still doing my homework HAHAHAHA. I suck at advertising!**

**This is the final chapter of Maiden in the Dark! Thanks to everyone who has been following and reviewin truly appreciate it 3 **

**I've begun to write the storyline for the sequel to Caged, so if anyone has any ideas-GIVE ME A SHOUT! and I'll be like "I love you." Haha! I'm slowly making my way through Ranger and Outcast, and I've been having way too much fun with The Life She Was Meant To Have! What else do i have stacked up in my head...I HAVE LOT'S OF THINGS. And i'm hoping to get most of them out this year! ^_^ Enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review!**

**-Four years later-**

The two mischievous twins hid behind a tree, waiting for someone to walk by and set off the trap they'd laid out. Their furry ears twitched as they heard a pair of footsteps approaching. "What are you two up to now?" Syaoran asked, picking them up around their waists. The wriggled in attempt to get away from their fathers grip, but eventually gave up. "Daddy, put me down!" Shana complained. "Not until you tell your father what you were up to." Sakura said sternly. The children flattened their ears, knowing that they were in trouble. "Alright you two, we're going home." Syaoran said, turning to walk home when he heard Sora running over. "Sakura!" Sora called out as she ran over. Syaoran groaned as he watched her foot catch in a piece of rope and was pulled up into the air, hanging by her ankle. "Alright, who pulled this?" Sora growled. The two children began wriggling to get free from their fathers grasp, giving themselves away. "You two huh? I should have known!" Sora said as she cut herself free. The two rascals bit their dads arm to try and get free, but he only tightened his grip. Sora was running towards them, but stopped in front of Sakura when she noticed the small bundle in her arms. "Aww look at little baby Rena! She has the same eyes as you Syaoran." Sora grinned. "Kouhei and Shana look just like their father-minus their mother's green eyes." Chii laughed as she joined them. "Oh hey Chii, how have you been?" Sakura smiled. "Good thanks, what about you?" the blonde replied. "I'm a little tired, but I'm fine." She smiled back. The two children felt guilty for making their mother come out upon hearing that she was tired. "We only wanted to have some fun…" Kouhei mumbled. "Well what you call fun was dangerous." Syaoran snapped. "Sorry…" Shana mumbled guiltily. "Just don't do anything dangerous again." Syaoran sighed, putting them down. They ran over to their mother to hug her and to see their baby sister. "They sure can be brats, but they're so cute!" Sora said, whacking her brother over the back of the head. "Geez, why are you always so violent!?" Syaoran growled. "Hey I'm just saying." Sora shrugged her shoulders. "That still doesn't answer my question, nit wit." Syaoran muttered.

Later on Sora decided to take the twins on a little trip down to the village. The kids were excited because they'd never been to the village before. "Hey Sora, how come mummy and daddy don't like the village?" Shana asked curiously. Sora knelt down in front of them and smiled. "The villagers did some bad things to your mother, but that's not something you need to worry about." Their aunt told them. They puffed out their cheeks in irritation; they hated anyone who would dare to make their mother sad. They exchanged cheeky looks as they continued down the path to the village.

Syaoran and Sakura looked at each other; "She didn't…" Sakura groaned. "I think she did." Syaoran sighed. "Would you like me to look after Rena while you two go and retrieve your children?" Chii asked, suppressing a giggle. "That would be great." Sakura smiled, following her husband out the door. "Have fun you two!" Chii called out.

Sora was laughing uncontrollably as the two children ran around the small town nude, wreaking havoc. The villagers had never seen children with wolf ears and tails, and it frightened them to see two children with such features running around ruining stalls and scaring people. Syaoran and Sakura were chasing them down, and eventually Syaoran decided to take on his wolf form as he would be far faster than in his human form. Sora continued to laugh her head off as Syaoran chased his son down. "Sora, you could help, you know?" Syaoran growled as he ran past her. "But it's so fucking funny!" She laughed. "You put them up to this, didn't you?" he said irritably. "Oh hey, they came up with the idea. I'm just sitting back and enjoying the show." She answered between another fit of laughter.

Kouhei ran around the corner and slammed hard into someone's knee; he looked up to see his mother staring down at him with unapproving eyes. "Well Syaoran, will you catch Shana while I take Kouhei home?" Sakura suggested to the brown wolf standing behind her son. He nodded and ran off in the opposite direction to chase down his daughter. Sakura picked up her son and carried him back to where Sora was still laughing and picked up his clothes, dressing him. "Now, we're going home and when your sister joins us you're both taking a bath!" Sakura said sternly. "Aww!" Kouhei groaned. "No complaining!" she told him. Her son fell silent and walked with his mother, head hanging low.

Shana and Syaoran soon joined Sakura and Kouhei back at the house; Syaoran was covered in dirt just like Shana was. "How'd you get so dirty?" Sakura asked, suppressing her laughter. "This little rascal decided to stop right under a window that was having waste thrown out of it." Syaoran muttered. "Alright you three-bath!" Sakura said, heading them out the door. Shana groaned as she turned and walked out the door with her brother.

The children splashed about in the warm water while Syaoran and Sakura sat next to each other, watching and just enjoying the warmth of the substance. "How are you feeling?" Syaoran asked his wife who was leaning her head against his bare shoulder. "I'm a little tired…" She replied softly. "You aren't feeling ill?" he asked. "No, I'm just tired." She answered in the same soft voice. The two children looked over at their parents and waved before they continued to splash each other. "You know, when you and Shana walked through the door earlier you both had the same annoyed look on your faces; they resemble you so much." Sakura giggled, looking up at her husband. "Yet they have your kindness and love, not to mention your beautiful eyes." Syaoran smiled. "And Sora's craziness." Sakura added, splashing her husband in the face. "No kidding." Syaoran said, picking up his wife and throwing her into the deeper end of the springs as payback for splashing him. She landed with a large splash and resurfaced quickly, pulling Syaoran in by the hand and dunking him under the water. They continued to do this to each other, even having their two kids join in.

The two adults watched their children sleep peacefully, smiling at their innocent sleeping faces. "Sora said that she told the two that the village had hurt you, and they didn't like that so they began wreaking havoc in the village." Syaoran murmured. "They really love you." He smiled. "They sure can be tiring." Sakura smiled softly, placing Rena in the small cot by Shana's bed. "Yeah, especially when they go running off without warning with Sora." Syaoran chuckled as he stood up. "Come on, let's go to bed." He said, taking her hand and walking out of the small bedroom that had been built for their kids.

Sakura fell asleep almost immediately in Syaoran's arms, comforted by his warmth. He too fell asleep quickly, feeling relaxed after a long tiring day. He dreamt of Sakura and the hill they used to spend time together on, only it was more of a nightmare than a dream. She was lying dead, her body completely lifeless on the grassy hill. He was kneeling down beside her, tears streaming down his face and mixing with the rain.

"Syaoran wake up!" Sakura called out his name, shaking his shoulders. "Syaoran!" she called his name again, trying to wake him. His eyes flew open, his tense posture relaxing as he laid eyes on Sakura. "It was just a nightmare…" he breathed a sigh of relief. "Are you alright? Do you need anything?" Sakura asked softly. "No, I'm fine." He answered, smiling up at her. "Are you sure? You were crying out in your sleep…" Sakura murmured. "Daddy…?" A soft voice came from the door-Shana's voice. The small child was holding her little sister and Kouhei was standing beside them; they were worried about their father. "You can come in." Sakura smiled warmly. Shana and Kouhei walked over and climbed onto the bed next to their father who smiled up at them comfortingly, soothing their worry. "I'm fine, don't worry about me." He whispered. "Are you really?" Shana asked, still worried about her father. He patted her on the head and pulled his two children in for a hug. Sakura joined them with Rena in her arms; the two adults were probably at their happiest, to be able to spend time with their children who-while they could be a massive pain in the ass sometimes-had the same caring heart as their mother and the same determination as their father.

**-Three years later-**

Rena had just turned four, and unlike her older brother and sister she was a very shy, timid young girl. She often clung to Sakura or Syaoran, hiding behind them whenever someone she wasn't used to seeing came over.

Sora came bursting through the door like she always did, frightening the young child; Rena bolted and hid under her parents bed, shaking from the sudden fright. "Hey Syaoran! You have been requested by some spastic who somehow entered the forest!" Sora announced. Syaoran, who had stood up to walk to the bedroom to get Rena from underneath the bed, stopped in his tracks. He hadn't anyone pass the barrier. "_What_?" he asked. "We don't know either, but they insist on seeing you." Chii answered, the same thoughts running through her head. "Hang on; I'm going to have to bring Rena since Sakura is out collecting fruit and herbs with the other two." Syaoran said, walking into his room.

Rena listened as her aunt spoke with Syaoran, but stayed where she was. She could hear footsteps approaching the room and climbed further under the bed. The footsteps stopped and she saw her father's face appear, "Rena, it's all right. You can come out." He smiled softly. She hesitated for a moment before crawling out and climbing onto her dad's back. "We have to go out for a little while, alright?" He said softly, standing up and piggy backing her. "Mama?" she wondered if they were going to see her mother. "No, daddy has to take you with him somewhere." He replied. "Ok." She answered in her soft voice.

Just like her father, Rena changed into her wolf form and seeing as she was only four-a very young child-Syaoran carried her. Everything was but a blur as he ran, following his younger sister to where two people were standing; a man and a woman. As he approached he returned to his human form while still holding Rena who decided not to change back into her human form. "That's a cute little wolf pup." The man said. "She's my daughter. Who are you?" he asked his voice soft yet firm. "We're a pair of travelling magicians; we could feel the strong presence of another nearby so we came to check it out." The woman answered softly. "You used a spell that would stop you from being detected, correct?" Syaoran asked. He realised from the soft breathing of his daughter that she'd fallen asleep. "Yes, we did." The man answered, surprised. "No human should be able to enter this forest; what are you after?" Chii growled. "We just want to speak to the girl." He answered. "That's not happening." Syaoran spat. "All we want is to see her to confirm something; please." The woman begged. Syaoran frowned. Why did they want to see Sakura? "Under one condition; touch her, and you die. Any harm comes to her, and you die." Syaoran growled.

Sakura looked over as Sora approached her with a serious look on her face. "Sora, what's wrong?" Sakura asked. "I have to take you to my brother. He's waiting for you." Sora answered. "Kouhei, Shana, gather your things-we have to go." Sakura called her children to her side, carrying a basket each of different fruits. "Let's go." Sakura said, hopping on top of Sora's back once she turned into her animal form. Shana and Kouhei took the form of wolves, racing each other to where their father was.

Sakura ran to Syaoran, worried about what could possibly be going on for Sora to not be her usual bouncy self. She turned her attention to the two people standing before them. Her eyes widened. _It can't be…_ she thought to herself. "Who are you?" she asked, stepping in front of her family and holding her arms up protectively. "_Found you._" The couple hissed at the same time, moving to attack her.

But Sakura was faster.

She was a skilled sorceress now that she had mastered her powers; she no longer had to recite spells. Sora covered the eyes of Shana and Kouhei so that they didn't have to see what was about to happen. Syaoran was glad that Rena was sound asleep; she was too young to have to see something so gruesome.

Sakura wore a sad smile; she'd learned of two hunters in her dreams, so she knew exactly what she needed to do. They barely touched her; she ruptured their organs from the inside, watching as they fell to the ground to meet their end.

Blood soaked the forest floor; Sakura stared at her messy work, not realising that Syaoran had clicked his fingers to get rid of the bodies. "Sakura, are you alright?" Syaoran asked softly. She snapped out of her daze and looked at her husband, smiling. "Sorry; I learnt about them in a dream…they're two hunters who were sent to look for me-some of the magicians turned themselves over to the other side just so they could kill their own kind." Sakura whispered. "Are you ok though?" Syaoran asked a little more seriously. "I might be a little shocked, I guess." She half laughed. He still didn't believe her.

Rena was still asleep when they got back to the house, and Sakura too fell asleep as soon as she got back. Syaoran wasn't surprised, but Shana and Kouhei were worried about their mother. "Is mum alright?" Kouhei asked his father. "Your mother is just a little tired." Syaoran smiled. "Now where's that fruit you collected? Perhaps we can make her something for when she wakes up." He suggested. The two kids looked at each other with delighted smiles and ran to the small preparation area where the two baskets full of fruit were.

It was late night and the children were asleep, so Syaoran and Sakura had some time alone together. They sat outside gazing at the stars and full moon, picking out constellations and chatting away. "Hey, remember when you found out I was pregnant for the second time?" Sakura grinned. "You scared the crap out of me." Syaoran laughed. "Yeah; you completely freaked out on me." Sakura giggled. "Please don't scare me like that again." Syaoran groaned. "Aww, why not?" Sakura pouted. "Wait-you aren't…?" he stared at her for a moment and she burst into laughter. "No, don't worry." She laughed. "You love to scare me, don't you?" he smirked, leaning in to kiss her. "Of course I do." She smiled back.

She led him back to their bedroom, loosening to ribbons on the front of her dress and allowing it to fall from her shoulders. He pulled her in for another kiss, his lips tracing her down her neck. "That tickles." Sakura giggled, falling back onto the bed. He pulled off his shirt and pinned her down playfully, fondling her breasts as he kissed her. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed back passionately, loving every moment he touched her.

She held herself close to him, a million thoughts running through her mind. She could feel his soft breathing on her skin as he slept-how she wished nothing would disturb their peace again. She wondered how long it would take for the next lot of hunters to find her. _How do I protect the kids?_ She wondered. "Sakura, what are you stressing about?" Syaoran murmured-he could feel her tense posture and the emotions she was feeling. "I keep thinking about today…if those hunters were able to find me, then how much longer will it take for others to finally hunt me down?" She whispered, trembling with tears. "They won't get you or the kids. All of the guardians made sure of that." He told her softly. "If they could get through the barrier today then who knows about the others…" Sakura argued. "Don't you trust me?" he asked. Of course she did! "What are you talking about-of course I trust you!" She cried. "Then trust me when I say that they won't get you. They can hunt you down all they want, but nothing will stop me from protecting you and the children. We added an extra wall to the barrier that renders all spells useless…unless you're the one casting them." He grinned at the end of his sentence and kissed her on her forehead. She felt a little better knowing that they would certainly be able to detect whether or not someone had entered the forest, but that didn't stop her from worrying about the safety of her children and husband. But at the same time, she also knew that as long as she trusted in Syaoran, then everything would be alright. "I love you." She whispered. "I love you too." He whispered back, holding her close. He'd always protect her, no matter what.

**We've reached the end, and i'd like to thank you again for reading! I'm sorry if this chapter was a little sloppy xP i was running out of ideas.**

**Review?**


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